For a lot of people, when software is deployed and released, they automatically think that’s the end of the process. But the truth is that software development is a lot more complicated. There are lots of ins and outs that you need to take into account. And the reality is that software development never ends if you continue to work on that project.
Does it all end once you finalize testing?
Testing is a major part of the process. You need to test everything and ensure that it all works the way it should. And while most of the time it does, there will be situations when it doesn’t. That’s why it’s crucial to not only assess every situation but also ensure it all works correctly. And once you have that, the benefits can be second to none.
However, it never stops there. Testing is meant to ensure that the current version you want to deploy works the way it should. Yet people will continue to ask for features. They will want to access new things and all of that will play a role. Once you start focusing on these things, you will find the outcome to be a lot better.
Maintenance and support
After deployment, your team needs to offer support for the software. And while that might not seem like an issue, it definitely means that you have to listen to the audience and their feedback. Sometimes, people are unhappy with the progress. Other times, there will be significant challenges that you can face. And we also have to think about any future updates.
While some people will be ok with the current features, there’s always room for more. And that’s the thing, you want to be certain that all the updates are cohesive, and professional and deliver exactly what you want. In the end, the results as a whole will matter, but you have to constantly listen to feedback.
Plus, every change or upgrade you make will also require its own phases of testing. So even if you deployed software, that doesn’t mean you can stop. If anything, you have to continue and focus on the results as much as you can. Once you start doing that, the results can be incredible and you will find it to convey a much better outcome.
Identifying and solving any issues
Even if testing is important, you rarely have a perfect piece of software. There’s always some stuff that can be improved. Sometimes it’s easy to narrow down. Other times, it can take a while. And you might not see it until you are working on a future update.
And that’s the thing here. The software lifecycle will differ from one project to the next. Some projects are very simple, others will be significantly more complex. And that’s why it makes a lot of sense to assess your project’s needs and adjust accordingly. But don’t think that software development ends with the deployment process. It doesn’t, it will require additional work from the support team, not to mention you may want to do updates and add new features. All of those need even more testing and bug fixes. So it’s definitely not fixed, it requires lots of work, but it’s certainly worth it!
